As a young girl, I always loved storytelling and I also loved journaling. I’ve kept a journal for as long as I can remember and I encourage my children to keep journals too.

So I was super excited to hear about Alicia Key’s new animated app…Ok, ok, I was also super DUPER excited to meet the 14-time Grammy winner, mom to 2-year old son, Egypt, and wife of Swizz Beatz. Alicia’s new app, “The Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee” is about a young New York City girl’s relationship with her wise grandmother, inspired by Alicia’s own relationship with her Nana.

In the app, LeeLee’s bedroom serves as the hub and its 3D animated interface lets kids participate in a number of immersive features, such as playing the piano or writing in a journal.

Keys produced music for the interactive app, which was released today for $3.99.

Other features include:
• BOOKSHELF. By visiting LeeLee’s bookshelf, users can pick to read one of the immersive storybooks
within the series. The first immersive storybook, “Blue Moon,” is available with the initial app and addi-
tional story-packs will be made available in the future through the bookshelf.

• LEELEE’S MUSIC BOX. When users open LeeLee’s music box they will discover a locket necklace
hidden inside. Upon opening the locket, users are given access to Alicia Keys’ inspiring music that accom-
panies each story-pack. The music then becomes a part of the users’ playlist and various instruments are
introduced relative to the cultural interactivity and geographical locations within each story. The initial
app includes original songs and score from “Blue Moon”.

• JOURNAL. When users sit down at LeeLee’s desk, they can become part of an extension of the story by
experiencing the magic of journaling with prompts that inspire them to write about topics highlighted in
the story-packs. Users can also illustrate their thoughts with the journal’s drawing tools as well as share
across social media platforms for family and friends to see. The journal feature promotes the power of
journaling and encourages users to make writing in their journal a habit by rewarding them following their
experience and progress.

• PIANO AND RIVER CANE FLUTE. The piano in LeeLee’s room allows users to transform their tablets
into an interactive piano (with authentic Alicia Keys piano sounds). As users play the keys of the piano, a
manuscript appears at the top of the keyboard highlighting the notes they’ve discovered. Additional inter-
active elements and songs will be introduced in the future. Other instruments are introduced within each
story as micro-games and may be accessed at the piano as well. The river cane flute is unlocked within
“Blue Moon” and the micro-game will appear at the piano post-story.